Here are the latest updates on the Wet'suwet'en protests and talks
Though tensions have seemed to ease as a result of the much-anticipated meetings between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and members of both the B.C. and federal government this weekend, Canadians may not be seeing an end to the now-famous protests and transportation blockades anytime soon.
The talks — which had been dramatically cancelled and rescheduled — largely pertained to Wet'suwet'en land rights and title, and though all sides have come to a tentative agreement on that topic, there still doesn't seem to be a foreseeable resolution to the contentious issue of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
After three days and nights of talks NO agreement on Coastal GasLink has been reached. However, a tentative agreement has been reached on Wet’suwet’en rights and title. This will not be publicly released until Wet’suwet’en people have a chance to review over the next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/2Zevt7FNmP
— Gidimt’en Checkpoint (@Gidimten) March 1, 2020
Coastal Gaslink's president said in a statement about the talks that construction on the $6.6 billion, 670 km-long fracked gas line will continue on Wet'suwet'en land in Northern B.C. as of March 2 and that the company "remains committed to dialogue and engagement with all Indigenous groups along our route."
Work had been paused for four days for the negotiations.
CGL also said it has plans to try and meet with hereditary chiefs "in the hopes of resolving outstanding issues."
But, hereditary chief Dini'ze Woos assured media that some chiefs still, as they always have, oppose any pipeline going through their territory.
B.C. Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Scott Fraser said the three days of talks were productive, respectful and a "milestone in the history of Canada" in terms of the land rights and title, the specifics of which have yet to be revealed to the public.
But the sides are still not seeing eye to eye regarding the pipeline and the methods that the Canadian government and police have used and are using to get it built on First Nations land. Demonstrations are still being planned across the country and beyond in support of indigenous soverignty.
Forthcoming this week are solidarity events in cities such as Hamilton, Montreal, Nanaimo, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto, Victoria and others.
Come join us! The Wet'suwet'en demands have not been met. CGL and RCMP are still active on their territory. #ShutDownCanada #Wetsuweten #WetsuwetenSolidarity pic.twitter.com/M6QcLf8DYx
— SW Solidarity With Wet'suwet'en (@SudSolidarity) March 2, 2020
Wet'suwet'en Governance Director Molly Wickham continues to encourage activists to keep the pressure on and continue rallying: "We're not standing down and we're not asking anybody else to stand down either," she said in an interview posted by the Gidimt'en Checkpoint Twitter account today.
"They're willing to talk about [title on our territory] for future reference so this never happens again. But they don't understand that this is not over," she added, calling the weeks of protests an ongoing revolution and "not 'they've met demands and let's all go home.'"
Join the conversation Load comments